Resource Manual

D.2 - Employee Hygiene Policy

The following procedures must be followed by all employees to ensure proper hygiene practices
and the production of safe food products.
1. HAND WASHING reduces the amount of contamination transferred to food products
 Proper hand washing steps are:
o Rinse hands;
o Apply soap;
o Scrub for 15-30 seconds;
o Rinse thoroughly; and
o Dry with a paper towel.

 Hands must be washed:

o At start of each shift (at start-up, after lunch and breaks);
o After using the washroom or smoking;
o After blowing nose, coughing, sneezing, etc.;
o After picking up product from the floor;
o Any time your hands become contaminated (touch dirty surfaces, garbage bins,
etc.); and
o When entering the production floor from a less-clean area (e.g. outside or kill
floor).

Using hand sanitizer DOES NOT replace proper hand washing. Hand sanitizer is used following
hand washing.

2. CROSS-CONTAMINATION is the transfer of harmful material from a dirty or less-clean area

to a cleaner area (e.g. dirty knives contacting clean product).
 All employees must help stop cross-contamination. Some examples and sources of cross
-contamination are:
o Contacting floor/dirty surfaces/dirty equipment/inedible containers/pallets;
o Abscesses, fecal matter, stomach contents; and
o Condensation.
 Employees must stay in their designated work area.
 Wash boots and use footbaths when moving between zones.

3. CLOTHING and HAIR RESTRAINTS

 Coats/smocks and protective footwear must be worn in all production areas.
o CUT FLOOR: white smocks
o KILL FLOOR: blue smocks or coveralls with aprons
o OUTSIDE: red smocks
 Wear a clean smock every day and change if it becomes contaminated.
 Keep hardhats clean. Clean with soap and water when they get dirty.
 Change coats if moving between production rooms.
 Do not wear production coats or aprons outside or in washrooms/lunchrooms.
 Do not store personal clothing/effects in production areas.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Personnel Program: Employee Hygiene Policy Page 1 of 3

Issue Date: _____________ Developed by: _______________________Date last revised: ________________________

Authorized by: ___________________________ Date authorized: _________________________

 Resource Manual

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Personnel Program: Employee Hygiene Policy Page 1 of 3

Issue Date: _____________ Developed by: _______________________Date last revised: ________________________

Authorized by: ___________________________ Date authorized: _________________________

 Resource Manual

D.2 - Employee Hygiene Policy

 Wear hairnets and beard restraints in all production areas

4. JEWELLERY AND LOOSE ITEMS

 No jewellery is allowed in production areas (this includes all facial and exposed body
piercings and wedding rings).
o Medical alert jewellery is the only exception and must be tucked under clothing or
a glove.
 Loose items, such as false nails/eyelashes and nail polish, are not permitted in
production areas.

5. FOOD
 No food is permitted in production areas, including (but not limited to) food, drinks,
chewing gum/tobacco, candy, lozenges and cigarettes.
 Leave medication in personal lockers and do not bring onto the production floor.

6. COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND INJURIES

 Many illnesses can be passed to consumers through food (causing food poisoning).
 Report communicable or gastrointestinal disease to your supervisor immediately!
 Examples of communicable diseases include:
o Food poisoning (all kinds);
o Salmonella;
o Gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestine);
o Dysentery (severe diarrhea often associated with blood in the feces);
o Typhoid (severe infection caused by Salmonella thyphosa);
o Campylobacter;
o Hepatitis (liver disease caused by viral infection);
o Listeria;
o Streptococcal infections (e.g. strep throat); and
o Giardia (stomach and intestinal disease caused by parasite).

Symptoms of these diseases include diarrhea, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting,
dehydration and fatigue.

Don’t let employees infected with one of these diseases work directly with food.

7. CUTS/WOUNDS
 Cover all wounds with dressings and waterproof gloves.
 If product, equipment or tables become contaminated with human blood:
o Wear gloves to clean up blood;
o Properly dispose contaminated product;
o Clean and sanitize (don’t just scrape off) all equipment and surfaces
contaminated with blood before continuing production.

Personnel Program: Employee Hygiene Policy Page 3 of 3

Issue Date: _____________ Developed by: _______________________Date last revised: ________________________

Authorized by: ___________________________ Date authorized: _________________________

 Resource Manual

D.2 - Employee Hygiene Policy

8. PERSONAL EQUIPMENT (KNIVES, SCABBARDS, HOOKS, MESH GLOVES)

 Equipment must be inspected (daily) before start-up to ensure it is clean;
 Sterilize equipment before start-up and after each break, and any time during the day if it
becomes contaminated/dirty
 Clean and sanitize personal equipment before storing in lockers at the end of the day
shift.

Personnel Program: Employee Hygiene Policy Page 3 of 3

Issue Date: _____________ Developed by: _______________________Date last revised: ________________________

Authorized by: ___________________________ Date authorized: _________________________